Open top container



April 28, 1964 F. OBERKIRCHER OPEN TOP CONTAINER Filed May l0, 1961 FIG. 3 #WMM 3,130,860 Patented Apr. 28, 1964 ice to Union Carcorporation of rFhis invention is a one piece open top container for handling fragile material. One luse is in grape pick-ing where the loaded containers are stacked one on top of the other Ifor carting from the iield.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a container, FIG. 2 is ea section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a -deta-il showing the support of containers in stacked relation.

The container has side walls 1 and 2, end walls 3 and 4, and a bottom wall 5 and is adapted to be molded in one piece, for example, of one of the semi rigid plastics such as polyethylene. The bottom wall is provided with reinforcing ribs 6 and drainage holes 7. The interior of the container is, however, of smooth surface which is easily kept clean.

The side and end walls are join-ed to each other by integral `angular corner portions 8 with sides which extend substantially the full depth of the container and in the same -general direction as the adjacent side and end walls, the sides of the :corner portions being spaced inward from the adjacent side and end walls so that the rectangle defined by the corner portions is smaller than the rectangle ldeined by the side and end walls. This means that when the containers are stacked one on top of the other, it is impossible for the containers to telescope.

Around the top edge of fthe container is lan outwardly extending rim 9 integr-al with the upper edges of the corner portions and of the side and end walls. Beneath the portion of the rim 9, overlying the corner sections 8, are vertical ribs 10 integral with the Iunder side of the rim 9 .and the outside of the corner portions 8. These ribs stiien the corner portions. The lower ends 11 of the ribs terminate above the bottom wall of the container so that when the containers are stacked one on top of the other as shown in FIG. 3, the Weight is transferred Ifrom the upper to the lower containers through the ribs 10 on the corner portions. The corner portions, being relatively rigid, provide adequate support even though the more flexible side walls may bulge.

lEach of the end walls is provided with an indent 12 between the corner sections which may extend the full depth of the container. Each indent terminates in an upper s-uriace 13 -which provides a hand grip for lifting the container. The surface 13 marks the level to which the container should be filled. As is cleanly apparent from FIG. 3, the distance from the rim 9 to the surfaces 13 of the indents is greater than the distance yf-rom the lower ends 11 of the ribs 10 to the bottom wall 5 of the container. When the containers are stacked one on top of the other, the upper containers lare supported above the level of the material loaded in the lower containers. 'This prevents injury of the `fragile contents when the containers are stacked.

What is claimed las new is:

An open top rectangular container having integral side, end and bottom walls, said side and end walls being joined to each other by angular corner portions with sides which extend substantially the full depth of the container and in the saine general direct-ion as the adjacent side and end walls, the upper edges of the sides of the corne-r portions being spaced inward -from the adjacent side yand end walls whereby the rectangle defined by the upper edges of the corner portions is smaller than the rectangle dened by the side and end walls, Ithe -sides of the corner portions being integral with and in substantially direct continuation of the adjacent side and end walls, Ian outwardly extending rim integral with the upper edges of the corner portions and of the side and end walls, a plural-ity of ver tically extending ribs on lthe outside of each of said corner port-ions said ribs having upper ends integral with lthe underside of said rim and having lower ends terminating above the bot-tom wall of the container so as to rest on the of a :lower container when like containers are stacked one on top of the other, said end walls each having an indent below the rim and between the corner portions providing a hand grip, the upper surfaces of the indents indicating the level to which the container should be lled, and the 4distance from the rim to said upper surfaces being greater than the distance from the lower ends of said ribs to the bottom wall of the container whereby the contents of the container filled to .the indicated level 0 are not crushed when the containers are stacked one on top of the other.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

